November 2009

November 25, 2009

(Photo from Reuters. President Obama pardoned "Courage", the National Thanksgiving Day turkey at the White House this afternoon. The other dumb birds won't be so lucky. Too bad Screech isn't one of them.)

Give Thanks.

Let's all gather around with our friends and family and be thankful for having a baseball team in Washington to complain about.

November 21, 2009

(Photo of TV by Nationals Enquirer staff. The Peoria Javelinas celebrate the 2009 AFL championship by jumping on top of each other.)

The good news is, the photo above isn't a picture of Espinosa, Storen, Marrero, et al. in a dog pile, jumping on top of each other like they just won the World Series. Because, you can get injured jumping into a dog pile. Then again, you can get injured shagging BP fly balls; just ask Strasburg.

A bunch of healthy 20-something year old athletes can hit, run, and throw for nine innings day after day for over a month of meaningless development league games, then jump around on top of each other at the end on the pitcher's mound after winning a meaningless trophy; and everyone walks away healthy.

Or a healthy, 20-something year old athlete with a $15 million paycheck burning in his pocket can stoop for a ground ball while playing long toss during batting practice before a meaningless development league game, and with a single pop of the knee can put an entire organization (not to mention, fanbase) on edge. Dave Sheinen captured the moment over at Nationals Journal:

According to Rizzo, the injury occurred while Strasburg and a teammate were playing long-toss in the outfield during batting practice before the Phoenix Desert Dogs' regular-season finale Thursday. Strasburg apparently went to field a ground ball that had been hit near him when his cleats caught in the outfield grass. Witnesses said Strasburg immediately crumpled to the ground and reported hearing a "pop" in his knee

While he hasn't talked to general manager Mike Rizzo or manager Jim Riggleman, Morgan expects to be told to slide feet-first into the base instead of going headfirst like he did against the Cubs.

"If I have to make the change, I'm definitely prepared to make the change," Morgan said. "But I'm not going to stop my aggressiveness on the base paths. I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing out there. If I have to change my slide for team's sake, I will. We have something brewing and it will be special. I just want to be on board with everybody."

November 20, 2009

The Washington Nationals today announced that hitting coach Rick Eckstein, pitching coach Steve McCatty and third base coach Pat Listach will return in the same roles in 2010. The club also named John McLaren bench coach, Jim Lett bullpen coach and Dan Radison first-base coach. Nationals Senior Vice President and General Manager Mike Rizzo and Nationals Field Manager Jim Riggleman made the joint announcement.

Join Shadow Room as we celebrate DeAngelo Hall's Birthday hosted by Ryan Zimmerman of The Washington Nationals along with his celebrity friends and athletes this Friday. You don’t want to miss this party!!

Celebrity friends!? Athletes!? Count us in!

But: Ryan Zimmerman. DAngelo Hall. Ryan Zimmerman & DeAngelo Hall. Can you think of a more unlikely pairing of pro-athletes in DC-sports history? How did Zim get the gig? And if his hosting duties require him to get on mic and greet/fire up the crowd, will he use the same deadpan drone he subjects Nats fans to during interviews, or will he be a little more...peppy?

Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo did not immediately return voice and text messages seeking additional information, and players and coaches in Arizona were instructed not to discuss the injury with the media.

An MRI showed inflammation on his left knee, but the team said the injury is not considered serious. Still, he will be flown back to Washington on Friday so team doctor Wiemi Douoguih can put him through a precautionary exam.

The injury is not considered serious. Strasburg reportedly hurt the knee while shagging fly balls. An MRI showed inflammation in the knee. As a precaution, Strasburg is scheduled to be examined Dr. Lewis Yocum in Los Angeles on Friday.

So, exhale, NatsTown. For now. Strasburg will be flying from Arizona to either LA or DC to get his knee checked out. You know, either the East or West Coast. For precautionary reasons. Nothing to worry about. He's flying...somewhere. It''s okay. We should probably start getting prepared to suffer like this for every hangnail, owie, and stomach ache that may arise during the Stephen Strasburg Era. Let's hope it's worth it.

"Davey makes me a smarter general manager. He is a deep thinker. He has done every aspect you can do in the game. Just to be around him, it makes me all that much better."(Mike Rizzo, via MLB dot com, 11/18/2009)

Mike Likes Davey's Aura

Rizzo ends offseason hiring spree by adding Davey Johnson to his stable of "Wise Old Owls".

"These are guys who sit in ballparks at every level, watch games and talk to other scouts. It sounds trivial. But in baseball, there is nothing more important. They are the wise old owls."(Stan Kasten, via Washington Post, 11/19/2009)

With all those other advisers and special assistants around, even Davey doesn't know what his senior ad-visor job really entails, but what the heck, the pay is probably pretty good! Via Washington Times:

Johnson isn't sure exactly what his role will be yet -- though it will likely take advantage of his experience doing everything from running major-league teams to working with rookie-league players. But he will be another resource among the veteran additions to Washingtons front office this fall.

Riggleman would eventually undermine McLaren's work and blow the Strasburg Sweepstakes for the Mariners, while Manny Acta brought home the prize for Washington. So Jim owed him one for ruining his legacy in Seattle. And of course, Mr. Riggles became Manny Acta's bench coach in 2009, and you know how that story ends.

So, Jim and John are reunited. Now what's going to happen with the other 5 open slots on Riggleman's staff?

Meanwhile...

Both the Washington Post and the Washington Timesoffer up a bunch of nice little news nuggets about the Nats: from Guzman's impending move to 2nd, to the the Nats new academy in the DR, updates on Jesus Flores, Jordan Zimmermann, Scott Olsen, etc. etc.

(AP Photo. Mike Rizzo seems to be enjoying his first offseason as a real, live, Major League GM.)

Rizzo hires two more assistants to assist the assistant director to the GM. Or something like that.

"We have two of the best baseball minds in the industry. These guys are as sharp as you can get. They both interviewed for the assistant general manager's job. Both were so impressive that I decided to hire both of them."(Mike Rizzo, via Nationals dot com, 11/16/2009)

Mike Rizzo momentarily shifted his focus from the front office to the field with the Riggleman hiring last week. Yesterday, Mike Rizzo shifted his focus back to his front office, hiring two more reportedly-able-minded pieces for his dream front office team: ex-Pirate Exec Bryan Minniti as assistant GM, and an ex-Investment Banker, Jay Sartori, as Director of Baseball Operations. Nationals Enquirer staff could've sworn Rizzo filled both positions weeks ago; fortunately, Mark Zuckerman of the Washington Times has been keeping closer tabs on the hirings.

And as previously stated, Bryan Minniti and Jay Sartori were hired as assistant GM and director of baseball operations, respectively. They take over adminstrative duties previously held by Squire Galbreath, Bowden's former college roommate who remains as a part-owner of the Nats but won't be working day to day in the front office anymore.